Page 1 - Clinton Currents Spring/Summer 2018

Volume XVII • Issue 2
Guide to the Charter Township of Clinton
Supervisor’s Message Next steps, securing our future
Spring/Summer 2018
You’ve often heard me mention the continued lack of financial support we receive from the State of Michigan. Each year, the amount of revenue Clinton Township receives from the State Revenue Sharing program continues to decline – to the tune of about $2 million annually. Since before the recession, this has affected our ability to effectively fund our police and fire services, and handle infrastructure projects, namely road repair.
As you might know, as a township we receive no money from the State or County for road construction. The extent of road repairs in Clinton Township are a result of our willingness and ability to partner with the County to cover costs. To add to this, the practice of partisan politics in Lansing has led to little progress in tackling the infrastructure and funding issues that most Michigan communities face. This makes the recent talk of income tax reductions by some difficult to understand as Lansing continues to pull back support to fix our deteriorated roads and bridges, thus making it a local responsibility and necessity.
It’s also up to us, the residents of Clinton Township to supplement the cost of our police and fire services with millages. Voter support for past police and fire millages was nearly 2 to 1 in favor of funding for both services. As those mileages begin to wind down, I recently asked the Board of Trustees, and received unanimous approval, to place a renewal of both mileages on the ballot for this coming August. The two police millages currently in place expire in 2019 and 2025. We’re proposing a six-year renewal at .9905 mils from 2020 to 2025. There are two fire millages in place, both set to expire in 2021. The proposal is to combine them for an eight-year
period, from 2022 to 2029 at an estimated 2.2069 mills. If these renewal millages pass, it will allow our first responders to be adequately funded for all the service they provide.
Voter support of past millages
doesn’t begin and end at the
polls. Before the 2013 millage
vote, I asked for volunteers to
form two citizen committees to
study our safety and security
needs and bring forth recommendations. It’s something that the Township Board believes in – that many initiatives pertaining to quality of life issues must have input from the very people who will be affected. That is why, along with the requests for the police and fire millage renewals, I will be presenting a recommendation to the Township Board for a 5-year, 1.9 mill request for roads so that we can partner with the County and local subdivisions to repair our roads. This plan, once again is with the input and recommendation of a citizen committee.
Township residents expect their Supervisor and their elected representatives on the Board to protect the services that they treasure, and guide Clinton Township to not only survive economic challenges, but to thrive in spite of adversity – and the good news is, we are!
Robert J. Cannon Supervisor
Supervisor Bob Cannon